Improving Your Employment Brand

Unemployment is creeping lower.

Recruiting is getting harder by the day.

But if the right candidates aren’t beating a path to your door these days, it might not be because top talent is in short supply.

Your company could have an image problem.

Building a strong employment brand requires a significant investment of time, talent and resources – but it’s well worth the effort. In fact, a July 2012 LinkedIn study of over 4,700 talent-acquisition decision makers showed that a strong employer brand can reduce cost-per-hire by up to 50%.

If you want to attract better talent by improving your company’s image, these tips from PrideStaff will help:

Get your ducks in a row. Make sure everyone within your organization:

• Understands your company mission, vision and branding objectives.
• Knows what makes your company special and a great place to work.
• Is well versed on your company’s “rules of engagement” for posting socially. Much of your company’s branding will be done by individual employees via social platforms. Be sure you clarify what you want employees to communicate (i.e., make sure they know your company’s “elevator pitch”), as well as how to communicate responsibly.

Get social. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will likely be the main vehicles for your branding efforts. If you’re new, start small and build a presence on one or two platforms. If you already have a social presence established, review and update your company profiles. Make sure they’re accurate and, yes, interesting!

Then, start sharing:

• Be personal. Share stories about your employees’ and teams’ successes. Show what it’s really like to work for your organization.
• Be consistent. Make sure what you share aligns with your vision and branding goals.
• Be creative. Photos, slide shares and videos are great way to keep people interested in the brand you’re trying to build.
• Be smart. If you struggle with finding interesting content to share, ask employees what they’d like to learn about your organization if they were job hunting. Or, take a look at what competitors do to promote their brands and engage potential candidates.

Be honest. Don’t try to fake it! While it may be tempting to gloss over culture problems or present your organization as more innovative than it really is, it’s always best to convey what your company is – not what it wants to be. Besides being dishonest, building a façade will backfire in the long run. Once new hires figure out they’ve been duped, they’re likely to become resentful and look for new opportunities elsewhere.

No company’s culture, work environment and operations are perfect – so it’s okay to admit a few negatives (in fact, it will make your message more believable). Great candidates are real people who want to work for real employers. Focus on developing an authentic brand that showcases what your company is now – and explains what you’re striving for in the future.

Hire Smarter with PrideStaff

When you partner with PrideStaff, we present your organization and roles in ways that build your brand – and get the attention of quality candidates. Whether your needs are entry-level or management, we can make your hiring process simpler and more successful.  Contact your local PrideStaff office today to learn more.